


Subconscious Manifestations

by LittleSweetCheeks



Series: While We Sleep [5]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Dreams, Friendship, Gen, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-03-09 20:42:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13489389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleSweetCheeks/pseuds/LittleSweetCheeks
Summary: . “Or. They are a manifestation of your subconsciousness. You were here today, so you spent the afternoon thinking of this house, of me, and as a way to process it, your subconscious is doing this.”“Great. And Now my subconscious has turned you into Reid.”





	Subconscious Manifestations

The realtor had talked the house over, trying to get Derek to take it on. “Adorable!” She’d exclaimed. “You must see it!” She pried and prodded him until he’d agreed. “Significantly below market value!” Her excitement over the property was palpable.

Derek had been at another site with his general contractor but agreed to check it out. If the woman was saying it was such a good deal, he didn’t want to miss out. Because Morgan was on the phone with the painters, the contractor had driven, following the realtor through the suburbs. It had been over a decade since Derek had been in this area and everything had changed. He was making notes on a pad of paper when the truck came to a stop. Looking up, Morgan realized he’d never asked his realtor the address.

Stepping out of the truck, he was nearly speechless. “This house?” He asked her, voice tight.

She looked absolutely ecstatic. “It’s had a few owners over the past ten or fifteen years, but it’s a lovely house, lots of natural light!”

“I… I can’t do this house.”

Her face fell. “Why not?”

Morgan turned to her. “Do you know about this house?”

Flipping through the notes, she chewed her lip. “I did my own historical search of it, nothing came up at all. The listing agent said there’s rumors that someone died in the house, but several of the owners have been elderly, so…” She shrugged.

With a frown, Derek turned and looked up at the sagging, unkempt exterior of what was the scene of a day that would be burned into his mind forever.

==

Blinking, Derek looked around. He was standing outside, in a back yard. There was a wooden swing set that looked familiar and a swing for adults to relax on. Thinking, Morgan tried to remember how he’d gotten here. He could remember heading home, unable to go inside the house his realtor had wanted to show him, he could remember climbing into bed with Savannah after kissing Hank goodnight. Where had time gone?

“Come sit.” A voice spoke.

Turning, Morgan found the source of the voice relaxed in the swing. “Where are we?”

The person looked surprised. “That’s your question?”

He shrugged, looking around some more. “Wait, I know where we are. But… Why are you here?”

“You brought me here.”

“I did?” They both waited in silence until Derek spoke again. “What is this?”

“Much better question. You’re dreaming. As to why you’re dreaming here, with me? Only you can answer that.”

Morgan nodded. “This house is for sale; did you know that?”

“No, I didn’t. But I’m not surprised, no one has been able to live in it long since that day.”

“My realtor showed it to me to renovate.” He finally crossed the yard and took a seat beside Hotch. “I wanted to be so angry at her for bringing me here.”

“Why?”

“Why? Did you know… I haven’t even been down this street since you packed it up.”

“You never said anything.”

Morgan could feel Hotch watching him. “Yeah, well… My nightmares paled in comparison to yours.”

“That didn’t make them not nightmares.”

He huffed a chuckle and turned, really taking in the older man, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt that looked familiar and out of place at the same time. He tried to place it but couldn’t.

“You have all the questions and the answers here, Derek.”

“If I do, I don’t know them.”

“Of course you do. You always do.”

The yard was silent for a while. “Four years since… and I still have nightmares. Still wake up in a cold sweat or shouting or crying. Does it ever stop?”

“I don’t know.”

Morgan rubbed his head. “Savannah gets worried, you know? She asks what the dreams are about, but I don’t want to scare her. And I don’t want her to think I can’t move on. During the day I don’t usually think about any of that stuff.”

“You should talk to her.”

“Did you ever talk to Haley when you had them?”

Aaron just shrugged. “I don’t know the answer to that. You’d have to ask the real me.”

“I thought these dreams were supposed to be some sort of grand enlightening moment?” Derek snorted.

Hotch chuckled at that. “Or. They are a manifestation of your subconsciousness. You were here today, so you spent the afternoon thinking of this house, of me, and as a way to process it, your subconscious is doing this.”

“Great. And Now my subconscious has turned you into Reid.” He grinned.

“Yeah, well, he does tend to rub off on people.” They both lapsed into silence, neither noticing as time passed.

“Driving to that house that night, staring down the man who nearly killed Savannah, Hank… I never told you this, but… I kept remembering walking into _this_ house, I kept imagining finding Savannah like Haley was.” He worked his jaw side to side as he swallowed the lump in his throat. “We all knew that day…” He drew in a ragged breath. “We knew before we got there that she was gone. And just like you, we didn’t know how many dead bodies would be in that house when we showed up.”  He looked away now, down at the grass as tears pooled in his eyes. “I left the hospital not knowing if Savannah and Hank would make it, but I had to do what I could, what I knew… To make him pay.” A hand landing on his shoulder made him finally look up again.

“You did help me fix it up enough to sell.” Hotch tipped he head toward the back door. “Wanna have a look around?”

“Now?”

Aaron shrugged. “Sure, why not. It’ll look exactly how it did the last time you were inside.” He stood and walked a few steps across the yard.

Morgan suddenly placed the outfit. The last time he had been in the house, he’d helped Hotch move a few pieces of furniture into storage. He was dressed the same way that day. He rose and caught the soft smile on Hotch’s face.

“I told you, it’s all memories for you, doing this. There is one difference between our situations though.”

“What’s that?”

“Savannah didn’t die. She’s still alive, beside you in bed. I was never able to make it up to Haley for the things that happened, but you can. And you do. The kind of agent you were, the kind of son and brother you are.” He turned and started toward the door, speaking over his shoulder as he walked. “The kind of father you are to your children. You’re present and involved every single day and you love them with your whole heart.”

“Yeah.” Morgan started to follow behind and then stopped short. “Wait. Children?”

Hotch stepped through the doorway and turned back, giving Morgan a blinding smile.


End file.
